The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State legislatures.
When vacancies happen in the representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of such State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, That the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct.
This amendment shall not be so construed as to affect the election or term of any Senator chosen before it becomes valid as part of the Constitution.
The 17th Amendment is significant because:
(B) It requires the direct election of US senators by voters.
In the first version of the United States Constitution that ratified in 1788, senators were elected for six years by the state legislatures. At that time, the politicians thought that the US Congress needed a competent and serious senator who could work on long projects, unlike the House of Representatives which was renewed every two years. They believed that legislatures were better at choosing the right people than citizens who did not know much about politics.
However, this election system caused two major problems such as:
1. Corruption
Senators who wanted to be elected by their colleagues gave them money to buy their votes.
2. Electoral deadlocks
The legislatures could not agree on who to send to the Congress, and some senatorial positions were not occupied for several years because of these disagreements.
The election of senators by the state legislatures continued throughout the 19th century. It was only in 1912 the majority of states were convinced by a new system based on the vote of the people and ratified the seventeenth amendment.
Subject: History
Chapter: US Constitution
Keywords: US Constitution, the constitution of the United States, the election of senators in the US
